Fraudsters pose as Beaufort development chief to trick builders. Here’s how the scheme works
The City of Beaufort is investigating an unusual scam in which fraudsters are posing as a top city official to target real estate developers and builders.
Scams in the Beaufort County area often target senior citizens, but in this scheme crooks are trying to trick members of the development community into sending money to them and using the city to do it.
It involves a fraudulent email from an address -- communitydevelopment.cityofbeaufort@usa.com -- that appears to come from Curt Freese. Freese is city’s director of Community and Economic Development, which includes the Planning Department.
The email includes misleading language, such as:
“The Planning Department has completed its review and prepared its recommendation for approval, pending the settlement of the application approval fee as outlined in the attached invoice…”
Recipients are then instructed to reply to the email, settle the attached invoice and return payment confirmation.
“These emails are not legitimate and are part of a phishing scam intended to defraud recipients by requesting payment of a fake application approval fee,” the city said in a statement.
Several developers have reported receiving the emails, city spokesperson Ashley Brandon said. No one has been taken advantage, as far as the city knows, said Ashley Brandon, a city spokesperson.
But the city is reminding developers of the following:
- All official city of Beaufort email addresses end in @cityofbeaufort.org
- The city will never request payment through unofficial email addresses or third-party services.
- Not to respond, click on links or download attachments if you receive a suspicious email. Forward the email immediately to info@cityofbeaufort.org and call the City of Beaufort Police Department non-emergency line at 843-524-2777.
Police are investigating the source of the fraudulent messages, Brandon said.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 11:37 AM.
